Automated manufacturing system

ABSTRACT

An automated manufacturing system comprises a computer processing system and a plurality of consolidation systems. The computer processing system receives information on product subbatches and product packages and consolidation status information to produce consolidation assignment information, each product package comprising one or more product subbatches. The consolidation systems receive the product subbatches in accordance to the consolidation assignment information and consolidate the product subbatches into product packages, wherein the status of the consolidation systems are tracked and the consolidation status information is sent to the computer processing system.

CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED INVENTIONS

The present invention is related to commonly assigned U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 10/446,375, filed on May 28, 2003, titled“Apparatus and method for high-throughput and flexible printing”. Thedisclosure of this related application are incorporated herein byreference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This disclosure relates to methods and systems for automatedmanufacturing and finishing of product packages and product subbatches.

BACKGROUND

Common manufacturing systems are organized in batches or workflows. Inbatch production, the products are produced in one group at a time. In aworkflow, a product is produced in sequential steps. The throughput of amanufacturing workflow is governed by the throughputs of the individualmanufacturing steps as well as the wait times in between the steps. Thelatter is determined by how efficiently the product subbatches arescheduled and distributed throughout the manufacturing system. The costof manufacturing is related to several factors: the efficiency of theequipment usage, the amount of labor, and the cost and waste of materialusage. The cost of manufacturing can also be affected by the productdelivery time. In an on-demand fulfillment business, customers may bewilling to pay a premium price for fast turn around and may demand apenalty for late shipment.

A manufacturing system can produce products within the system, and canalso receive parts from outside the system and completes the productpackages in the manufacturing system. Each final product can includeseveral product subbatches. After the product subbatches are produced orreceived, the product subbatches are packaged into final productpackages for shipment. Packaging and shipping costs can be reduced byconsolidating several product subbatches into a single product package.The consolidation step however often creates delays and bottlenecks tothe manufacturing workflow, which increases the labor cost, equipmentcosts, and sometimes material and shipping costs.

There is therefore a need for an efficient manufacturing system that canfulfill products in short delivery times at low costs.

SUMMARY

In one aspect, the present invention discloses an automatedmanufacturing system, comprising

-   -   a) a computer processing system that defines product packages        and one or more product subbatches within each product package        in response to input product information; and    -   b) a plurality of consolidation systems that receive the product        subbatches in accordance to consolidation assignment and        consolidate the product subbatches into product packages,        wherein the computer processing system receives the status        information of the consolidation systems and produces        consolidation assignment.

In another aspect, the present invention discloses a method of automatedmanufacturing, comprising

-   -   a) defining product packages and one or more product subbatches        within each product package in response to input product        information;    -   b) tracking the status of a plurality of consolidation systems        to produce consolidation status information;    -   c) producing consolidation assignment in accordance to the        consolidation status information;    -   d) distributing product subbatches to the consolidation systems        in accordance to the consolidation assignment; and    -   e) consolidating the product subbatches into product packages at        the assigned consolidation systems.

In yet another aspect, modes of operations are disclosed to improve theefficiency of automated manufacturing system having consolidationsystems. The rescue mode prevents consolidation systems from beingoverly loaded. The match-making mode matches product subbatches in theconsolidation systems and effectively clears up the consolidationsystems. The basic mode ensures loads to be evenly assigned to theconsolidation systems and none of the consolidation system beingoverwhelmed and becoming a bottleneck.

An advantage of the present invention is that the automatedmanufacturing method and system the throughput of manufacturing workflowis improved by properly monitoring the status of the consolidationsystems and intelligently scheduling product subbatches to avoidbottlenecks at consolidation systems.

Another advantage of the present invention is that the automatedmanufacturing method and system shorten product delivery time and reducemanufacturing costs.

Yet another advantage of the present invention is that the throughput ofthe automated manufacturing system is increased.

DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram for an automated manufacturing system inaccordance with the present invention.

FIG. 2 illustrates the components of a production system in theautomated manufacturing system of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 illustrates the components of a consolidation system in theautomated manufacturing system of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a bock diagram of an automated product distribution system inaccordance with another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a flow diagram for the operations of the automatedmanufacturing system in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a flow diagram for the operations of the automatedmanufacturing system in accordance with an embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIG. 7 is a flow diagram for the operations of the automatedmanufacturing system in accordance with another embodiment of thepresent invention.

FIG. 8 is a flow diagram for the operations of the automatedmanufacturing system in accordance with yet another embodiment of thepresent invention.

FIG. 9 is a flow diagram for the operations of the automatedmanufacturing system in accordance with another embodiment of thepresent invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In accordance with the present invention, as shown in FIG. 1, anautomated manufacturing system 100 includes a computer processing system110, one or more production systems 121, 122, 123, a distribution system130, one or more consolidation systems 141, 142, 143, and an outputsystem 150. For example, the production systems 121, 122, 123 caninclude digital printers that can produce hardcopy prints in response toinput digital data. Examples of digital printers include digital silverhalide printers, digital electrographic printers, ink jet printers,digital thermal dye printers, and digital offset printing presses and soon.

Product information is received by the computer processing system 110 asthe input to the automated manufacturing system 100. The inputinformation can include order information such as product type,quantity, and the orderer information for each product order. The inputinformation can also include digital data for producing the productssuch as image data, and print layout data for making digital prints inthe order. The input information can include network addresses anddatabase locations where digital data are stored. Each order may includeseveral product package, each of which may be sent to same or differentshipping addresses. Each product package may include more than oneproduct subbatch, each of which is to be separately scheduled andproduced by production system 121-123. The computer processing system110 processes the input information to produce digital data necessaryfor producing product subbatches and product packages.

A product subbatch may include several product units. For example, aproduct subbatch can include a group of 10 4″×6″ photographic prints. Aproduct subbatch may also include more than one product. For example, aproduct subbatch may include 20 4″×6″ prints and 5 5″×7″ prints, whichare both printed by production system 121 (P1) and then held together byan inner envelope before being delivered to consolidation systems141,142,143 by the distribution system 130.

The computer processing system 110 separates the production of theproducts in one package into the production of multiple productsubbatches. The separation of product subbatches can be based on anumber of factors such as the product types, the quantity of eachproduct type, the product size (relative to the compartment size in theconsolidation systems, see below), etc. The number of product units andproduct types in product subbatches are arranged such that the productsubbatches can be conveniently produced and distributed in a group.Product subbatches assigned to the same product package are referred toas companion product subbatches within the product package. A productsubbatch can include a plurality of product types such as image prints,greeting cards, postcards, calendars, photo snapbooks, and photo albums.

The computer processing system 110 sets priorities for the production ofthe product subbatches and schedule the product subbatches to theproduction systems 121,122,123. The components of production systems121,122,123 are shown in FIG. 2. A production system 200 includes a linecontroller 210 and a production device 220. The line controller 210receives product information from the computer processing system 110.The line controller 210 also sends information such as printer status,product subbatch status, error message, etc. back to the computerprocessing system 110. The product device 220 produces the productsubbatches assigned by the computer processing system 110. Details ofthe operation of the line controller 210, the computer processing system110, and the scheduling of product subbatches are disclosed in the abovementioned and commonly assigned U.S. patent application Ser. No.10/446,375, filed on May 28, 2003, titled “Apparatus and method forhigh-throughput and flexible printing”. The disclosures of thisapplication are incorporated herein by reference.

The production systems 121,122,123 produce the product subbatches inaccordance to the digital data received from the computer processingsystem 110. At the completion of the product subbatches at theproduction systems, the product subbatches are sent to the distributionsystem 130. The distribution system 130 then distributes the productsubbatches to the consolidation systems 141,142,143 in accordance withconsolidation assignment information produced by the computer processingsystem 110. The consolidation systems 141,142,143 consolidate theproduct subbatches into product packages. The product packages are thensent to the output system 150 for shipment.

Components of the consolidation systems 141-143 are illustrated in FIG.3. A consolidation system 300 includes a consolidation controller 310, abatch storage system 320, and a packaging system 330. The consolidationcontroller 310 can include a computer, display device, a keyboard, abarcode scanner, a voice recognition device, a speaker etc. The batchstorage system 320 stores product subbatches in separate compartmentbefore all the companion subbatches belonging to a product package aredelivered to the consolidation system 300. In accordance to the presentinvention, the compartments in the consolidation systems 300 can existin different forms. The can be referred to as holding bins, cubbies,etc.

The consolidation controller 310 detects each product subbatch deliveredto the consolidation system 300 and assigns the product subbatch to aspecific compartment or holding bin. The status and the location of theproduct subbatch is reported to the processing system 110 and updated ona computer database. The packaging system 330 can includes a scale, aprinter, and a barcode scanner. When all the product subbatches of aproduct package have arrived at the consolidation system 300, thepackaging system 330 packs the product subbatches in one package. Theproduct package may be weighed and a shipping label may be printed andapplied to the product package. Again, the shipping status of theproduct package and associated product subbatches is reported andupdated by the consolidation controller 320 to processing system 110.

The consolidation system 300 can exist in different configurations inaccordance with the present application. In one embodiment of thepresent invention, the batch storage system 310 includes a plurality ofcubbies stacked in rows and columns. Each cubby is uniquely specified byan address. The addresses for the cubbies may be identified by a barcodelabel next to the cubby, electronic display, or a radio-frequency tag.Each cubby can hold one product subbatch or all the product subbatchesfor a product package. An electronic detection and indicator can beprovided for each cubby. For example, an LED indicator can be provided.A green light may signify an empty cubby, a yellow light for a partiallyfulfilled product package in the cubby (still waiting for companionproduct subbatches), and a blue light indicates the product package inthe cubby is completed and ready to be packaged. The status of all thecubbies is tracked by the consolidation controller 320 as part of theconsolidation status information of the consolidation system 300, whichis reported to processing system 110.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the consolidation system300 includes a plurality of holders all connected and movable by anautomated conveying mechanism. The movable holders can be distributedvertically to save space on the production floor. Each holder isuniquely identifiable. Each holder can hold one or more productsubbatches belonging to a product package. There may be an upper limitin the product subbatches that a holder can hold. When the upper limitis reached, product subbatches belonging to the same product package maybe distributed to different holders. The product subbatches and theirholder locations are tracked by the consolidation controller 320. Whenall the product subbatches of one product package have been received bythe consolidation system 300, the product subbatches are automaticallymoved and placed onto an area in the packaging system 330. The productsubbatches are packaged and labeled and then sent to the output system150.

The status information of the consolidation systems 141,142,143 includethe product subbatches and their cubby/holder locations stored in eachconsolidation system, their companion product subbatches, the producttype and unit numbers of the product subbatches and their companionproduct subbatches. The consolidation status information also includesinformation on finished or completed product packages, the dwell time ofthe product subbatches presently stored in the consolidation systems141-143, and how much room is left in each of the consolidation systemsfor new product packages.

In accordance with the present invention, the dwell time is used todescribe the time that a product subbatch is held in a compartment of aconsolidation system 300, that is, the time duration between the timewhen the product subbatch was placed into the compartment and the timewhen it is taken out of the compartment to be packaged with the rest ofthe companion product subbatches.

The consolidation status information is frequently updated to thecomputer processing system 110. Based on the consolidation statusinformation and the rules as described in more detail below, thecomputer processing system 110 determines which of the consolidationsystem 141-143 that the new product subbatches will be assigned (i.e.consolidation assignment information). As described below, theconsolidation status information also allows the computer processingsystem 110 to schedule future product subbatches to be produced todecrease the load level in the consolidation systems. In the presentinvention, the load level in the consolidation system refers to thenumber of compartment that are occupied by product subbatches relativeto the total number of compartment in a consolidation system.

The consolidation system receives product subbatches from thedistribution system 130. If all the product subbatches of a productpackage have been received at a consolidation system, the productsubbatches are packaged and sent to the output system 150. If anyproduct subbatch in the package has not arrived, the package will beheld at the consolidation system, waiting for companion productsubbatches to arrive. During the peak hours of production, it ispossible that all the holders/cubbies in a consolidation system are alloccupied by the product subbatches waiting for companion productsubbatches. The specific order consolidation is no longer usable and canbecome a bottleneck to the whole automated manufacturing system 100.Advantage that the present invention provides is the decrease of dwelltimes of the product subbatches in the consolidation systems 141-143.

In accordance with another embodiment of the present invention, as shownin FIG. 4, the automated manufacturing system 400 includes a computerprocessing system 410, a distribution system 420, one or moreconsolidation systems 431, 432, 433, and an output system 440. Theproduct subbatches are externally produced and provided to the automatedmanufacturing system 400. Similar to the automated manufacturing system100 of FIG. 1, input information is also received by processing system410 from outside. Consolidation status information is similarly updatedfrom the consolidation systems 431 through 433 to the processing system410. Using the input information and the status information from theconsolidation systems 431 through 433, the computer processing system410 sets priorities for product subbatches, schedules the productsubbatches to the distribution system 430 and assigns the productsubbatches to the consolidation systems 431-433. The distribution system430 takes the distribution information from the computer processingsystem 420 and distributes product subbatches to the consolidationsystems 431 through 433. Product subbatches assigned with higherpriorities will be produced sooner than lower priority productsubbatches.

FIG. 5 is a flow chart for the automated manufacturing system 100 inaccordance with the present invention. Input information is received bythe computer processing system 110 in step 510. Based on the inputinformation, the computer processing system 110 produces digital datafor producing product subbatches in step 515. The computer processingsystem 110 assigns the production systems 121-123 for producing theproduct subbatches in step 520 and schedules the production time in step525. Rules for the assignment and scheduling of product subbatches willbe discussed below in details in relation to FIGS. 6 to 9.

The processing system 110 receives the consolidation status informationfrom the consolidation systems 141-143 in step 530. Accordingly, thecomputer processing system 110 assigns the consolidation systems 141-143for receiving product subbatches of new product packages or specify theconsolidation systems 141-143 where their companion product subbatchesare stored (step 535).

In step 540, the distribution system 130 receives digital data forproducing the products from the computer processing system 110. Forexample, the digital data may specify the size and the quantity ofphotographic prints a production system 121-123 to produce for a productsubbatch. The product subbatch is produced by the production system(step 545). Based on the consolidation assignment information, thedistribution system 130 distributes the product subbatches to theconsolidation systems in step 550.

In step 555, the consolidation systems 121,122,123 receive productsubbatches. The consolidation controller 320 (FIG. 3) logs the receptionof the product subbatches in step 560. The consolidation system checksif all the companion subbatches have been in the consolidation system instep 575. If all the companion subbatches have been in the consolidationsystem, the consolidation system consolidates the product subbatchesinto one product package in step 580. The consolidation statusinformation is updated. The product subbatch is delivered to outputsystem 150 (step 585). If the consolidation system determines that aproduct subbatch it has received has companion subbatches in step 565and that not all the companion subbatches have arrived at theconsolidation system (step 575), the consolidation system will hold theproduct subbatches in a holder or cubby in the batch storage system 310as described above. The consolidation system is ready receive moreproduct subbatches in step 555.

Although the flowchart of FIG. 5 is discussed above in relation to theautomated manufacturing system 100 FIG. 1, the flowchart is alsogenerally applicable to the automated manufacturing system 400 with theexclusion of the steps 515,520,525.

The assignment of the production system (step 520) and the assignment ofthe consolidation systems (step 535) require the consolidation statusinformation from the consolidation systems 141-143. Depending on thestatus of each consolidation system, the computer processing system 110assigns different product subbatches to different priorities, andschedules the product subbatches to be produced according to theassigned priorities. The computer processing system 110 assignsdifferent consolidation systems for product subbatches from the assignedproduction systems. The computer processing system 110 conducts theseassignments using predetermined sets of rules and algorithms. Severalmodes of assignment rules and algorithms for order consolidation aredescribed below in relation to FIGS. 6-9 in accordance with the presentinvention.

In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 6illustrates a flowchart for a basic mode of order consolidation for theautomated manufacturing system 100 and the automated manufacturingsystem 400. The computer processing system 110 sets a Low Load Level(LLL) and a High Load Level (HLL) for a consolidation system (step 610).LLL and HLL may depend on the capacity consolidation system as well asthe throughput of the production systems 121-123. The computerprocessing system 110 also assigns a priority ordering to theconsolidation system 121-123 (step 620). The computer processing system110 receives the consolidation status information from the consolidationsystems (step 630).

The computer processing system 110 checks in step 640 if a consolidationsystem 121-123's load level is higher than its HLL. If its load level isnot higher than its HLL for any of the consolidation systems 121-123,the computer processing system 110 assigns product subbatches of new orexisting product packages (step 650). Naturally, the companion productsubbatches will be assigned to the consolidation system where itscompanion product subbatch(es) is stored. The assignment of productsubbatches from new product packages can follow different rules. Forexample, a pre-determined priority can be set for the consolidationsystems 121-123 in the sequence of 121>122>123. The product subbatchfrom a new product package will be assigned to the consolidation system121. In another example, the product subbatches from new productpackages can be assigned to the consolidation system having the lowestload levels.

If a consolidation system's load level is higher than HLL (step 640),the computer processing system 110 will not assign any new productpackages to the consolidation system, but only assign companionsubbatches of the product subbatches already stored in the consolidationsystem (step 660). If all the product subbatches from a product packagehave been received at the consolidation system, all the productsubbatches of the same product package are removed from the cubbies. Theproduct subbatches are packaged and the product package is finished. Theload level of the consolidation system is therefore reduced. Thecomputer processing system 110 then checks in step 670 if the load levelof the consolidation system is lower than its LLL. If the load level isnot lower than the LLL, the computer processing system 110 continues toassign only companion product subbatches to that consolidation system(step 650). If the load level of the consolidation system is lower thanits LLL, the computer processing system 110 can then freely assignproduct subbatches from new or old product packages to the consolidationsystem according to the priority of the consolidation system (step 650).If the computer processing system 110 is ready to schedule the nextproduct subbatch (step 660), the process restarts at step 640. If not,the process exits the basic mode of order consolidation (step 670).

FIG. 7 shows a flow diagram 700 of the match-making mode for theconsolidation of product subbatches in automated manufacturing systems100 and 400. The match-making mode is discussed below using theautomated manufacturing systems 100 as an example. The computerprocessing system 110 is ready to schedule a new product subbatch to beproduced by production systems 121-123 and consolidated by consolidationsystems 141-143 (step 710). The computer processing system 110 checks ifany of companion product subbatches of the new product subbatch has beenproduced (step 720). If no companion product subbatches have beenproduced, the computer processing system 110 assigns regular priorityvalues for the consolidation system in step 730. The regular priorityfor product subbatches may be determined by one or more of factors suchas the time of the product order is submitted, the shipping methodrequested (e.g. regular mail or express mail), deadlines for the productsubbatches to be used etc.

If one or more companion product subbatches has been produced (step720), the produced companion product subbatches may be already stored ina consolidation system or on the way to be assigned to a consolidationsystem 141-143. The computer processing system 110 subsequently checksin step 740 if the new product subbatch is the last companion product inthe product package to be produced. If this is true, the computerprocessing system 110 assigns the new product subbatch to the highestpriority in step 760 so that the last companion product subbatch canarrive at the consolidation system as soon as possible so that the batchstorage system 310 can free up one or more holders/cubbies by finishingup the product package. If the product subbatch in consideration is notthe last companion product subbatch of the associated product package,the computer processing system 110 assigns a high priority to theproduct subbatch in step 750. The high priority is higher than theregular number, but lower than the highest. After the priority of thenew product subbatch has been assigned, the computer processing system110 schedules the product subbatch according to the priority setting instep 770. The computer processing system 110 exits match-making mode atstep 780 and is now ready to set priority and schedule the next newproduct subbatch.

The flow chart of another mode of product subbatch consolidation isshown in FIG. 8 in accordance with the present invention. This mode ofconsolidation is intended to quickly clear up the consolidation systems141-143 when a large portion of the consolidation systems 141-143 areclose to be full in the automated manufacturing system 100 (or 400). Itmay be referred as rescue mode reflecting its intended purpose. Thecomputer processing system 110 is ready to schedule a new productsubbatch to be produced, consolidated, and packaged in step 810. Thecomputer processing system 110 first checks in step 820 if apredetermined number of consolidation systems have their load levelshigher than their HLLs. The predetermined number may be for example 70%of the total number of the consolidation systems 141-143. A very highnumber of consolidation systems having their load levels higher than theHLLs means the consolidation capacity of the whole automatedmanufacturing system has reached a critical level. If the computerprocessing system 110 continues assigning product subbatches of the newproduct packages to the consolidation systems 141-143, there is a goodchance that the consolidation systems 141-143 will exceed theircapacities. The whole automated manufacturing system 100 will be stalledto a standstill, that is, no product packages can be consolidated,packaged or shipped. In a predetermined number of consolidation systemshave their load levels higher than their HLLs (step 820), the computerprocessing system 110 stops scheduling new product subbatches of the newproduct packages to the production systems 121-123. Only productsubbatches having companion product subbatches already in theconsolidation systems will be scheduled (step 830). If the inquiredcondition is not met in step 820, the computer processing system 110will exit the rescue mode (step 840).

Different consolidation modes described in relation to FIGS. 6-8 can beused separately or in combination. FIG. 9 shows an exemplified flowchart for the rescue mode, the matching making mode and the basic mode.The computer processing system 110 is ready to assign a new productsubbatch to be produced, consolidated, packaged and shipped. The newproduct subbatch maybe the first companion product subbatch to bescheduled or it may follow other companion product subbatches in thesystem. The computer processing system 110 first enters rescue mode(step 920) and check if rescuing conditions are met in step 820 of FIG.8. If so, the computer processing system 110 assigns product subbatch inrescue mode. If not, it enters match making mode in step 930 asillustrated in FIG. 7. After the priorities are set for the new productsubbatches, the computer processing system 110 enters the basic mode(step 940) to assign product subbatch to consolidation system. Variouscombination of consolidation modes are applicable to automatedmanufacturing systems 100,400. For example, rescue mode can be combinedwith basic mode without the match making mode.

A number of implementations of the invention have been described.Nevertheless, it will be understood that various modifications may bemade without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Forexample, the operations of the processes and methods described here canbe performed in a different order and still achieve desirable results.Also, the processes, methods, and systems described here can be used tochange a variety of product attributes. Accordingly, otherimplementations are within the scope of the following claims.

1. An automated manufacturing system, comprising a) a computerprocessing system that defines product packages and one or more productsubbatches within each product package in response to input productinformation; and b) a plurality of consolidation systems that receivethe product subbatches in accordance to consolidation assignment andconsolidate the product subbatches into product packages, wherein thecomputer processing system receives the status information of theconsolidation systems and produces consolidation assignment.
 2. Theautomated manufacturing system of claim 1, further comprising: c) adistribution system that receives the product subbatches and distributesthe product subbatches to the consolidation systems in accordance to theconsolidation assignment produced by the computer processing system. 3.The automated manufacturing system of claim 1, further comprising c) anoutput system that receives the product packages from the consolidationsystems and ships the product packages.
 4. The automated manufacturingsystem of claim 1, wherein the product subbatches carries machinereadable or human readable information comprising consolidationassignment information.
 5. The automated manufacturing system of claim4, wherein the status of the consolidation systems are tracked byreading the machine readable or human readable information carried onthe product subbatches.
 6. The automated manufacturing system of claim1, wherein the status information of the consolidation systems includethe load levels of the consolidation systems.
 7. The automatedmanufacturing system of claim 6, wherein the computer processing systemproduces consolidation assignment in accordance to the load levels ofthe consolidation systems.
 8. The automated manufacturing system ofclaim 1, wherein the status information of the consolidation systemsincludes the properties of the product subbatches stored in theconsolidation systems.
 9. The automated manufacturing system of claim 8,wherein the status information of the consolidation systems includes theproperties of the companion product subbatches of the product subbatchesstored in the consolidation systems.
 10. The automated manufacturingsystem of claim 8, wherein the computer processing system producesconsolidation assignment in accordance to the information about theproduct subbatches stored in the consolidation systems.
 11. An automatedmanufacturing system, comprising a) a computer processing system thatdefines product packages and one or more product subbatches within eachproduct package in response to input product information; b) one or moreproduction systems that produce the product subbatches; and c) aplurality of consolidation systems that receive the product subbatchesin accordance to consolidation assignment and consolidate the productsubbatches into product packages, wherein the computer processing systemreceives the status information of the consolidation systems andproduces consolidation assignment.
 12. The automated manufacturingsystem of claim 11, wherein the computer processing system producesdigital data in response to input product information, wherein thedigital data was received by the production systems for producing theproduct subbatches.
 13. The automated manufacturing system of claim 11,wherein the computer processing system assigns the product subbatches tobe produced at one of the production systems.
 14. The automatedmanufacturing system of claim 11, wherein the computer processing systemschedules the product subbatches to be produced at one of the productionsystems in accordance to the status information of the consolidationsystems.
 15. The automated manufacturing system of claim 11, furthercomprising d) a distribution system that receives the product subbatchesfrom the one or more production systems and distributes the productsubbatches to the consolidation systems in accordance to theconsolidation assignment information.
 16. The automated manufacturingsystem of claim 11, wherein the product subbatches include machinereadable or human readable information comprising consolidationassignment information.
 17. The automated manufacturing system of claim16, wherein the status of the consolidation systems are tracked byreading the machine readable or human readable information comprisingconsolidation assignment information.
 18. The automated manufacturingsystem of claim 11, wherein the status information of the consolidationsystems includes the load levels of the consolidation systems.
 19. Theautomated manufacturing system of claim 18, wherein the computerprocessing system produces consolidation assignment in accordance to theload levels of the consolidation systems.
 20. The automatedmanufacturing system of claim 11, wherein the status information of theconsolidation systems includes the properties of the product subbatchesstored in the consolidation systems.
 21. The automated manufacturingsystem of claim 20, wherein the status information of the consolidationsystems includes the properties of the companion product subbatches ofthe product subbatches stored in the consolidation systems.
 22. Theautomated manufacturing system of claim 20, wherein the computerprocessing system produces consolidation assignment in accordance to theinformation about the product subbatches stored in the consolidationsystems.
 23. The automated manufacturing system of claim 11, wherein aproduct subbatch includes a plurality of product types.
 24. Theautomated manufacturing system of claim 11, wherein the productsubbatches include one or more of image prints, greeting cards,postcards, calendars, photo snapbooks, and photo albums.
 25. Theautomated manufacturing system of claim 11, wherein the inputinformation includes digital image data.
 26. A method of automatedmanufacturing, comprising a) defining product packages and one or moreproduct subbatches within each product package in response to inputproduct information; b) tracking the status of a plurality ofconsolidation systems to produce consolidation status information; c)producing consolidation assignment in accordance to the consolidationstatus information; d) distributing product subbatches to theconsolidation systems in accordance to the consolidation assignment; ande) consolidating the product subbatches into product packages at theassigned consolidation systems.
 27. The method of automatedmanufacturing in claim 26 wherein the status of the consolidationsystems includes the load levels of the consolidation systems.
 28. Themethod of automated manufacturing in claim 27 wherein the consolidationassignment is produced in accordance the load levels of theconsolidation systems.
 29. The method of automated manufacturing inclaim 26 wherein the status of the consolidation systems includes theproperties of the product subbatches stored in the consolidationsystems.
 30. The method of automated manufacturing in claim 26 whereinthe status of the consolidation systems includes the properties of thecompanion product bathes of the product subbatches stored in theconsolidation systems.
 31. The method of automated manufacturing inclaim 26 wherein the product subbatches include two or more producttypes.
 32. The method of automated manufacturing in claim 26, furthercomprising f) producing a product subbatch at a production system inresponse to input product information.
 33. The method of automatedmanufacturing in claim 32, further comprising g) scheduling the productsubbatch to be produced at the production system.
 34. A method ofautomated manufacturing, comprising a) providing or receiving productsubbatches and product packages, each product package comprising one ormore companion product subbatches; b) providing a plurality ofconsolidation systems; c) specifying a first load level for at least oneof the consolidation systems; and d) if the consolidation system exceedsthe first load level, sending the consolidation systems only productsubbatches that have companion product subbatches already stored in theconsolidation system.
 35. A method of automated manufacturing of claim34, further comprising e) if a predetermined number of consolidationsystems exceed the first load levels, sending the consolidation systemsonly product subbatches that have companion product subbatches alreadystored in the consolidation system.
 36. A method of automatedmanufacturing of claim 34, further comprising e) stopping sendingconsolidation system product subbatches that do not have companionproduct subbatches already stored in the consolidation system.
 37. Amethod of automated manufacturing of claim 34, further comprising e)specifying a second load level for the consolidation system wherein thesecond load level is lower than first load level.
 38. A method ofautomated manufacturing of claim 37, further comprising f) if theconsolidation system drops below the second load level, sending theconsolidation systems product subbatches that do not have companionproduct subbatches already stored in the consolidation system.
 39. Amethod of automated manufacturing of claim 34, further including e)consolidating the product subbatches into product packages at theconsolidation systems.
 40. A method of automated manufacturing of claim34, further including e) defining product packages and one or moreproduct subbatches within each product package in response to inputproduct information; and f) producing product subbatches in response tothe definitions of the product packages and associated productsubbatches.
 41. A method of automated manufacturing of claim 34, furtherincluding e) tracking the status of the consolidation systems to produceconsolidation status information, wherein the status of theconsolidation systems include at least the load levels of theconsolidation systems.
 42. A method of automated manufacturing of claim41, further including e) producing consolidation assignment according tothe status information of the consolidation systems; and f) distributingproduct subbatches to the consolidation systems in accordance to theconsolidation assignment.
 43. A method of automated manufacturing,comprising a) providing or receiving product subbatches and productpackages, each product package comprising one or more companion productsubbatches; b) providing a plurality of consolidation systems; c)specifying consolidation priority to product subbatches according to thestatus of their companion product subbatches; and d) sending the productsubbatches to the consolidation systems in accordance to the specifiedpriority of the product subbatches, wherein the product subbatches areconsolidated into product packages.
 44. A method of automatedmanufacturing of claim 43, wherein the status of the companion productsubbatches includes whether the companion subbatches are stored inconsolidation systems.
 45. A method of automated manufacturing of claim44, wherein the consolidation priority for a product subbatch is raisedif one or more companion product subbatches of the product subbatch arealready in a consolidation system.
 46. A method of automatedmanufacturing of claim 44, wherein the consolidation priority for aproduct subbatch is raised if all the companion product subbatches ofthe product subbatch are already in a consolidation system.
 47. A methodof automated manufacturing of claim 43, further comprising e)determining that one or a predetermined number of consolidation systemsexceed a specified load level; and f) sending a product subbatch toconsolidation systems only if the product subbatch has one or morecompanion product subbatches already stored in one of the consolidationsystems that exceed the specified load level.
 48. A method of automatedmanufacturing of claim 43, further including e) tracking the status ofthe consolidation systems to produce consolidation status information,wherein the status of the consolidation systems include at least theload levels of the consolidation systems.
 49. A method of automatedmanufacturing of claim 48, further including e) producing consolidationassignment according to the consolidation status information; and f)distributing product subbatches to the consolidation systems inaccordance to the consolidation assignment.
 50. A method of automatedmanufacturing of claim 43, further including e) defining productpackages and one or more product subbatches within each product packagein response to input product information; and f) producing productsubbatches in response to the definitions of the product packages andassociated product subbatches.